History of Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise

The village

At the heart of Tarentaise’s most famous ski areas, Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise is the youngest and most British of resorts, distinguished by its measured development and infinite skiing possibilities.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the big resorts, you’ll feel as if you’ve discovered the “secret” hideaway you’ve been whispering to yourself.

Here, you can enjoy great skiing in the heart of a protected natural setting, and taste chalet life, with its mix of simple luxury and top-of-the-range services, like nowhere else.

Rich in traditional architectural heritage, with its listed hamlet, columned houses, chapels and chalets all in stone, wood and lauze, you’ll find the true atmosphere of mountain life here.

Sainte foy, the world of stone and lauze chalets by Anne Marmottan — ©Anne Marmottan chalet ete|anne Marmottan

Winter It's a whole universe

With its own codes, figures and history.
That of Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise is intimately linked to the development of skiing and its soon-to-be century-old ski-club, formerly known as “Union Sportive La Tarine”.

“There were no ski lifts, so we skied in the hay meadows, crossing small roads. The children would ski up and down the slopes using stairs. In those days, there were few distractions. Whenever we had time, we skied.

By 1930, the fifteen rooms and dining room of the Hôtel Arpin (now called Le Monal) were already welcoming the precursors of skiing to the Chef-Lieu. The tone was set.
A passionate skier, Guy Arpin joined the French national team from 1951 to 1956, followed by his brother Michel Arpin, who was a member of the national team from 1956 to 1966, and who went on to coach a promising young skier by the name of Jean Claude Killy.

The Haute Tarentaise valley, the cradle of skiing, gradually opened up to tourism: Val d’Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs, La Rosière. After careful consideration, Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise was opened in December 1990, making it the “youngest” resort in the Alps.

Sainte-Foy I believe

Elected officials have always maintained their desire to build a ski resort in their commune.

It was Daniel Pascual, elected in 1987 at the age of 35, and the canton’s youngest mayor at the time, who took this major project to heart and carried it forward with enormous tenacity, a journey not without its difficulties and surprises.
No matter, he was motivated by the extraordinary possibilities offered by this immense 11,000-hectare commune, which he felt lacked appeal and whose population was gradually declining.

“We had in our hands a project to equip a ski area covering some 8,000 hectares, i.e. Val d’Isère and half of Tignes…”.

Everything was difficult. In the commune, there were environmentalist groups from the ’60s and ’80s advocating a return to our roots, while at the same time, all the government departments felt that the idea of a new ski resort was not a good one, and were urging us instead to promote gentle tourism. But gentle tourism means ‘no money and no jobs’…” stresses former mayor Daniel Pascual.

So he and his municipal council took up the project and filed the UTN application for the Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise resort.

The dossier was accompanied by an architectural charter comprising a book of architectural specifications, recommending the height and style of the structures, as well as the traditional materials authorized (wood cladding, local stone facades, lauze roofs and columns supporting the roof overhangs).

“We opened without authorization”.

In December 1990, Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise opened its three chairlifts, and the first year’s operation was entrusted to S.T.A.R. (Sté des Téléphériques de l’Aiguille Rouge/ Les Arcs). Unfortunately, the U.T.N. (Unité Touristique Nouvelle) authorization for 11 lifts and 82,000 m² of SHON in the form of ‘building rights’ was immediately annulled by the administrative court on the eve of the opening, following an appeal lodged by the CAF (Club Alpin Français).

“You have 3 ski lifts in the wild without authorization… unless you fight, there was no solution”… explains Daniel Pascual, the former mayor “Then everything was blocked for a year, to 1 year and a half…”.

The first skiers came for the off-piste

“The first day I took my skis and went for a walk on the slopes, it was a bit… folkloric. None of the pistes were bubbled! At the Col de l’Aiguille it was totally off-piste. The first few years, there were very few customers and very few bookings, but we hung in there.

The reputation of the Sainte Foy slopes spread through the valley and beyond like wildfire. The valley’s instructors and guides choose Sainte-Foy for their skiing sessions in their spare time. “We remember young Swedish and Norwegian skiers spending several weeks with us, simply to ‘ride'”.

Those were the days of La Limace (the former Bataillette school, now a B&B), run by snowboard pioneer and freestyle precursor David Vincent. It was also the era of night-crawler ascents to Plan Bois, and mulled wine galore to attract buses, ski schools and regional clubs… because Sainte-Foy didn’t have a bed back then.

The first builders

1990/1992 :

Construction of the first chalets by Guy and René Gonthier, as well as the “Les Charmettes” residence with René Arpin, Guy Marmottan and Pierre Revial. Alain Chaudan followed with the large Bella Comba chalet in 1995. The resort had 300 beds in 1992.
Opening of La Maison à Colonnes restaurant (by Lorette and René Arpin), the first ESF ski school (run by Yves Empereur) with 11 qualified instructors trained by the sports club.
In Plan Bois, right on the slopes, two high-altitude restaurants welcome the first skiers: Chez Léon, run by Jackie Empereur, and Les Brevettes, run by Nicolas Empereur and his grandmother Odette, who used to come down to the village… by toboggan!

1994 :

Construction of the “Yellow Stone Chalet” by Nancy and Jean-Claude Tabardel, one of the resort’s largest chalets.

1995 :

2nd phase of SCI Les Charmettes.

1995-2005:

Dutchman Dirk Koperdraat builds a first gîte and the Combe chalets, then the ‘Gîte de Sainte Foy’ in the ‘Virage’ operation (now White Eden). This was followed by the Mt Pourri chalets, the Rocher residence and the balconies, divided into 3 sections, with a magnificent SPA and restaurant.

The boom of the 2000s:

In 2000, the arrival of developer M.G.M. considerably accelerated the development of Sainte Foy, making it “the place to be”. The resort attracted a new international clientele, seduced by its authentic, unadorned family resort charm.

In a highly favorable economic climate, marked by massive investment in France by our British neighbors, Sainte Foy enjoyed unexpected success, supported by a handful of pioneers already established in the village. Word-of-mouth is having an effect.

“You could say that it was the English who launched the resort, since almost three-quarters of the MGM apartments and chalets were bought by English people.

“Today, visitors are impressed by Sainte Foy’s beauty. As far as the ski area is concerned, all the slopes have been designed with respect for nature. What makes this resort unique is its size and controlled development, both in terms of housing and slopes.”

30 years of the station

Summertime pastoral activity

Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise is still very much a pastoral village. Herds of tarines and sheep graze peacefully in the listed Clou valley, on the Sassière plateau and in the mountain pastures.
During your hikes, you can buy the famous “persillé” cheese directly in the village of Le Monal, a raw goat’s milk cheese first made in the middle of the 18th century, using an ancestral method.